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(ZIMBABWE GUARDIAN) MDC-T 'thugs' taken to court by fellow party members

MDC-T 'thugs' taken to court by fellow party members
By: TH-tzg
Posted: Monday, April 5, 2010 2:12 am

PRIME MINISTER Morgan Tsvangirai's criticism of "corrupt MDC-T councillors" at a rally recently held in Chitungwiza has sparked fights within the party, prompting a group of five supporters to approach the courts seeking a peace order against fellow activists aligned to the councillors.

Five supporters from the satellite town — Etrida Chidavaenzi, Johnson Mirongo, Tendai Muchenje, Egifa Makoto and Amos Kariati — claim the other group of seven assaulted them, threatened to demolish their houses with petrol bombs and to kill them following a misunderstanding over the utterances by Mr Tsvangirai at the rally.

The MDC-T party has always denied that it was a party of violence.

Trudy Stevenson from the smaller formation of the MDC and now ambassador to Senegal, claimed that she was attacked and left struggling for her life, by MDC-T thugs in July 2006.

The five MDC-T supporters claim they celebrated after the rally, a gesture that did not go down well with the other seven who were in full support of the councillors who had been expelled from the party for alleged corruption.

The seven — Lazarus Gomo, Theresa Chinodakufa, Phibion Chatindo, Douglas Muradzikwa, Leonard Chipererengo, Petros Masamha and Shepherd Jack — argued that they were also being victimised by the five for supporting a winning councillor.

The seven — who stay at different addresses in Unit N Seke — accused their colleagues of making several allegations against them and trying to fix them over voting for a certain councillor in the 2008 election.

Chitungwiza magistrate Miss Yeukai Nyamupingidza granted both parties a reciprocal peace order.

"Reciprocal peace order is hereby granted. All parties are ordered to observe peace towards each other physically, verbally, emotionally for 12 months.

"All parties are further ordered not to threaten, insult or use obscene language against each other," ruled Miss Nyamupingidza.

In an affidavit, Chidavaenzi stated that the relationship was well among the party supporters until March 7 this year when a rally was held at Chibuku Stadium.

She said Mr Tsvangirai blasted the corrupt councilors and maintained that the dismissed councilors did not have legitimacy to continue serving in the local authority.

She said the seven sang songs and chanted slogans threatening to kill them and to bring down their houses using petrol bombs.

They even assaulted Chidavaenzi resulting in Gomo being arrested and fined US$50 by a Chitungwiza court.

"From that day until now, we have been receiving threats from the respondents since they assume that we want to take over councillorship.

"For these reasons, we now seek the court’s assistance since we are living in fear, by refraining the respondents from harassing, threatening, insulting and assaulting us," said Chidavaenzi.

During the trial, Gomo denied the allegations adding that the main problem was factionalism within MDC-T that emanated from the March 29 2008 election.

Gomo said in 2008 he was working together with the five campaigning for a losing candidate, Sam Wakatama.

They clashed when Wakatama lost and Gomo decided to rally behind the winner.

It is alleged the five accused Gomo of being a "sell-out" adding that they wanted to ensure all sell outs were jailed.

Gomo claims he was falsely incriminated on several occasions, some of the cases, he said were dropped at their infancy for lack of adequate incriminating evidence.

Labels: MDC CORRUPTION, POLITICAL VIOLENCE

posted by MrK @ 4:00 PM